The use of synthetic organic resinous materials for coatings and paints is well-known. The chemical resistance, relative strength and life of many of the synthetic resin materials have caused synthetic resins to gain a great deal of favor for such uses. Coatings incorporating synthetic resins have an attractive, smooth and glossy surface which make them highly desirable from the standpoint of appearance.
A smooth, shiny, relative non-porous surface tends to become extremely slippery, particularly when wet or oily, and is unsuitable for walkways and similar uses. Known methods of reducing slickness are to incorporate coarse, rough aggregates such as sand or silica into coatings to produce a rough, concrete-like surface or to broadcast or sprinkle a grit material such as sand or silica onto the surface of coated articles while the coating is still wet so that the sprinkled sand or silica adheres to the coating and presents a roughened surface when the coating dries.
The known methods of reducing coating slickness present difficulties however, particularly if the coating is applied in a high traffic area or on a flexible substrate. Silica or sand, when incorporated in coating matrices in proportions high enough to provide a non-skid surface, renders the coating material hard and inflexible, tending to cause the coating to crack or delaminate. If sand or silica is incorporated at a level low enough that the coating retains some of its flexibility, the quantity of the coating may be sufficient to enclose or incapsulate the grit which is incorporated into the vehicle, still leaving a smooth, slick surface exposed for the most part. If a grit material is sprinkled onto the surface of damp coating material or a coating material still in a moist condition, the grit material tends to be worn out of the coating or scuffed out, leaving a slick coating behind and also leaving a coating whose integrity has been impaired by the holes left by the worn out grit.